Big (2012)

When I first learned of Big, I was excited for Gong Yoo's return to dramaland. After watching Big, I feel bad for him. He's carried this show to the end with little to no help from either main characters or story.

The story started in an interesting way, but the Hong Sisters' cliched mommy drama and flummoxing machinations ruined it's basic plot of the body switch. What actually began as a decent story with a few flaws ended up being a bad story with very few lights at the end.

To be honest, other than Gong Yoo's Yeon Jae/ Kyung Joon, none of the main characters made me too happy. I liked Suzy as Mari for awhile, until that character got so out of hand that my mind hurt. The supporting characters were much better--I especially liked Choong-shik. Shin Won Ho didn't really get an opportunity to shine at all either.

I will probably never rewatch Big, unless I'm desperate to watch Gong Yoo. All I get from the show is a headache, when rom-coms are supposed to make you forget why your head hurts.

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So, long story short (and oh how i wish this drama was shorter), BIG is boring!

The Hong sister's must have found this script in a old shoe box in the back of a closet, and directed it on a whim without any forethought. I didn't expect much originality based on the title/synopsis that obviously borrows from the Tom Hanks movie (and countless movies just like it). I did, however, expect to see something fun, and that is why I am so disappointed with Big. In the end, I did not have fun watching this. It stars an often shirtless, and absolutely adorable, Gong Yoo - HOW CAN YOU MESS THIS UP??? Apparently it is easier than I thought.

First, the story is a mess. For the first 5 episodes I was completely hooked, because I couldn't quite figure out what would happen next. From that point on it was clear that the Hong Sisters weren't quite sure what to do next either. There's a convoluted story about miracles that goes nowhere, and has zero substance. There are a few more episodes with a couple of fun scenes, but there are many more frustrating scenes. About halfway through the series all the characters start to repeat themselves, literally doing the same things each episode, and the story just drags along. I can't believe some of the nonsense scenes they came up with to fill the time (painting pandas???!!!) Even the stories that involve minor characters are completely pointless time fillers. It was extremely hard to complete this series. I continued to watch for Gong Yoo, but even he wasn't enough after a while.

The cast shouldn't be blamed for the horrible script, since they at least made it watchable. Still, the majority of the cast gave forgettable performances. Shin Won Ho is asleep for the majority of this drama. Baek Sung Hyun's dorkiness was sweet, but I grew tired of his loyal puppy dog routine. Of course there is an evil mother who Is pretty standard, but not a stand out. There's also the quintessential "other woman" who quickly becomes an irrelevant character.

I was not at all impressed with Lee Min Jung's portrayal of Gil Da Ran. Teacher Gil was the "older woman", but she often seemed extremely immature, not too bright, and damn near mental. Listening to her lecture KKJ about maturity grew tiresome quickly, yet it's what she does for the majority of the show. I lost all interest in the romantic storyline because she annoyed me so much as the show progressed. I thought her dramatic overacting in the final episodes was laughably bad.

Suzy's Ma Ri was by far the strongest characters on the show, and the character I hated the most. It was hard for me to sit through some of the ridiculous antics she got away with. In a script full of lackluster characters with shallow storylines, Ma Ri is the most memorable. Suzy definitely deserves credit for making the unbelievably ridiculous MaRi very believable.

Of course it's great to see Gong Yoo back, looking so good, and giving a great performance (...while showing some skin. yay!). Unfortunately, even with dual roles, his talent in wasted in this drama.

I'm convinced that this is the worst drama that I've ever completed. The ending confirmed my hatred for this drama by giving some vague conclusion, that answered no real questions, and was completely cliché. It also confirmed that the entire story could have fit into a 2hr movie format with time to spare. After loving so many Hong Sister's dramas I really felt like this one insulted my intelligence. I had hoped, till the very last episode, that something would happen to make me see this drama as at least "decent", but it always just got worse.

My Advice? Take this off your 'to watch' list, and skip to whatever is next. If you are planning to watch this because you ran out of new dramas to watch, I'd suggest rewatching one of your favorites instead. If you missed Gong Yoo, like I did, just watch Coffee Prince again. I'm honestly amazed that anyone liked this drama at all. If I could, I would take my 16+ hrs back!

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I found all the negative reviews really shocking, and I'm glad I didn't pay any attention to them since I adored this drama. It's going down as a favorite next to Dream High and Itazura na Kiss. As far as the Hong Sisters, I've also seen You're Beautiful and My Girl, but I loved this one much better. Maybe it's the premise that intrigued me from the get-go.

The lead actors were charming and funny. The music was great and actually made me laugh a few times with some perfect cues. The story carried on seamlessly and I honestly have to disagree about it getting repetitive or boring. And, of course, the romance was my favorite part. It was very sweet, despite some angst-filled moments. But comedy dramas tend to start on an up beat and then go through some heavy drama before the happy ending, like My Girl and Flower Boy Ramen Shop. In comparison, this one had even less angst.

As for the ending, I can't say it's what I expected and at first I was slightly let down, but it was still a great wrap up. Likewise, I've no clue what other questions people wanted answered. It pretty much said it all to me. I tend to favor open endings, though, since it leaves more to the imagination.

Maybe I'm in the vast minority, but all I have to say is give it a shot. It definitely deserves it.

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This Drama was pretty interesting i really love it the story was good the acting too !! i'm a fan of Gong Yoo his acting is sooo good the filling was amazing i watched this drama with all my heart it was so touching at the episode 15 i cried !! the songs were very very good "amazing".
from the beginning i liked it i didn't get bored or something though i don't understand why most of people dislike it !!
I'm very happy that i watched this drama really .
all though the ending wasn't that much great they could have done it better with a HAPPY ENDING KISS !!!!!!!

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So I'm just going to come out and say it: This drama sucked. BIG TIME.
It's such a shame because the story had a lot of potential, and it all went down the drain. So yeah, I understand if you start clicking your "Not helpful" button right now, but at least hear me (read me?) out.
I'm not going to spoil in how many ways this was frustrating, and in which ways the story lacked (A LOT), but I AM going to say that I,a big Hong Sister's fan, was really disappointed by this story- It gets to a point in which there ceases to be a story and it's just going around in circles time and time again, and the way it ends is awful, too.
Even though this is one of the worst dramas I've watched in a long time, it definitely can't be blamed on the cast. The whole cast was outstanding. The characters were awful, but it seemed very real, there was no bad acting in any part of the drama.
The music was normal, same as in most kdramas.
For the rewatch value, I definitely will NOT rewatch this. EVER again. I almost drop it the first time, NO.
Overall, this is a drama that had a lot of potential and got screwed big time. And as much as it pains me to say it, it's all the Hong Sister's fault, because the story didn't live up to its potential or its cast.
So, who do I recommend this to??? NO ONE. Maybe someone who's just starting to watch dramas, and differenciate between a good drama and a bad drama.

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Great Expectations...and in the end....

"What the heck?" is the sentence I said after watching the last episode.
I don't know about the Hong Sister's intention concerning this drama but I somehow felt mocked after finishing this drama.
You might ask why.
Well, this drama started pretty good. The plot was new and interesting. A typical work of the Hong Sisters. But then it somehow became...well, it didn't meet my expectations.
The ending was so bad that you might get angry about that as you wasted time on this drama and just stayed till the end because of the actors.
The only good thing about this drama are the male and female lead. Both were convincing in their roles whereas the singer of Miss A...maybe it was just because of her role ( not because of her acting) that she was annoying in my eyes. Every time she appeared, I rolled my eyes and thought: "Not her again!" I guess, I like her as a singer better than as an actor.

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It started off really great and had a lot of humor, but, for me, became very predictable, dragging, and annoying for the majority of the scenes not long after. I applaud Gong Yoo for his acting; his crying scenes are heartbreaking. Yoo and the minor characters, GDR's parents, brother, the parents envious past "lovers," and the teachers are what I looked forward to watch.

Shin Won Ho is a great young actor, and what a waste that he had to play sleeping beauty for the majority of the drama. I would had preferred if they mixed him in every now and then like in 49 Days.

And Yoo's original character, SYJ, wasn't much of character. For the audience, we barely know anything about him--whether he's bad, good, a cheater, and etc. So right away, KKJ is likable because of a very misjudged and very vague antagonist.

The heroine is the worse. She's naive, pitiful, and annoying. She lectures KKJ all the time about being an adult, when she acts worse than a teenager. I found KKJ the adult in this drama. GDR kept being easily persuaded by Ma Ri all the time; she never listened to her gut or defended her man. Kudos to Lee Ming Jung for playing such a horrid heroine so well.

Ma Ri's character is annoying, manipulative, and clingy--but what do you expect from a spoiled teenage girl that has been in love with someone, I assume for years?

Another waste of a character was SYJ's other "love" interest Lee Se Young played by Jang Hee Jin. Ma Ri's character completely overshadowed the potential LSY character's had to play an evil antagonist.

Overall, I might not know how it ends yet, but this drama lacks in so many aspects that no matter the ending, it won't woo me now. I'm happy I began watching it because it introduced me to Gong Yoo; I'll check our his other works in the future.

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I loved watching this drama, I mean I get that the ending was a bit disappointing ,
but I didn't really expect that much to begin with,
and I'm glad I wasn't influenced by the reviews (because I am sort of easily influenced) and watched it without prejudice ^^
The story was Great , I loved the Cast and they suit their roles well, I thought the music wasn't that bad and I might just watch it again (it's a feeling I don't have with a lot of dramas) ,
It's just a little disappointing that the ending was a bit... well, not so great
I thought it was really funny at times, and It made me go *awww* a lot, the brother was really funny as well, how he kept on going after Ma Ri , and I thought Ma Ri's character was great as well ^^
+ The leads, they did a good job, they suited their roles, and did the best they could to act them out well ^^ It was great seeing Gong Yoo act as a teen ^^
All in all
eventually, she fell for the guy I was rooting for, and if they'd done the ending a bit better,
I'm pretty sure I would have given it a 10.

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I hesitated some time to watch this because of all the bad reviews. But honestly, it wasn't as bad as people wanted to make me believe. Gong Yoo was wonderful as always and he can do no wrong. Well, except that I thought that his Kang Kyung Joon was a lot more immature than the real one after the change. Thank god, that changed later.

But I just wasn't invested emotionally as I could have been, which is partially because I wasn't a big fan of Gil Da Ran. Most of the time she was a pushover, and Lee Min Jung acting was so over the top cute, especially at the beginning. I just couldn't connect with her and their love story. All the right ingredients were there, but it didn't mix well.


Finally regarding the end, I don't get all the confusion about it. It was pretty clear, who was who and why. Yes, it could have been better and it was not enough time.

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I hope people will read this review without any prejudice because I for one did this with the intent of expressing one's personal opinion.

STORY 5/10

For those who are not aware BIG is the latest work of the Hong Sisters (other works include My Girl, Sassy Girl Choon Hyang, and My girlfriend is a Gumiho). A lot of web blogger and drama fanatics were highly anticipating this because of the writers behind it , specially those very much interested with romcons.
The anticipation went to an all time low because the plot was, if I may use the term "butchered". This was based somewhat from the movie Big (starring Tom Hanks) but the spin off was lacking and had it's flaws. It started slow, the paced up a bit in the middle then the ending was a flop, it lost big time. The whole flow seemed rather unfair to certain characters. If one is very keen in observation, a lot of conflict will arise because of the flow in story(just look beyond). Anyway it was mediocre.

ACTING/CAST 10/10

For the cast I was really happy and was very much pleased with the line up. I was really looking forward to this drama because of the cast. And because it was the small screen comeback project of Gong Yoo after Coffee Prince. The Chemistry of Lee Min Jung and Gong Yoo is superb, you might as well get them married in real life! Suzy was also funny and somewhat great in depicting everyday high school stalker girls (with a little exaggeration, which works for her). Whatever the drop was in the story made up for the cast and the acting. For me it saved this show. If it wasn't them I would have easily dropped the show and moved on with my life.

MUSIC 8/10

I'm giving the musical score an 8 point mark because it simply fitted. It works well in the funny scenes and also towards dramatic ones. They've also used some of the latest international song being in the radio so people will be aware of the timeline this was made. Cliche but it works for it.

REWATCH VALUE 6/10

I'm giving it a rewatch value of 6 because I know some drama goers might still give it a second glimpse. What? Gong Yoo is there showing off how buffed he is. And he cries so beautifully I tell you, he goes deep. :D

OVERALL
7.5
This would be a better grade. It's being fair considering different factors.

I hope I'm helpful again :p

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I don't know why people hate on this drama so much. Despite the series dragging on a little from episodes 10-14, the story was amazing. There was a lot of symbolism they used and the story had great cliffhangers. Many people write reviews saying the ending was confusing or was stupid; however, it's a very deep and meaningful ending. It takes true knowledge of literary aspects to appreciate it. Many dramas these days always have very shallow or cliche endings. Not this one though.

They chose a good set of actors for this drama. Some superb acting I've seen out of all the 59 dramas/movies I've watched. Gong Yoo definitely had a BIG part (hah, puns) in being a 30 year old man pretending to be around 18.

The music was also a good selection. Some big names such as Davichi, Beast, and Huh Gak are presented in this drama. The artists alone would tempt me to watch a drama.

If you enjoy symbolism and pieces that involve the slightest amount of thinking, then I recommend this drama to you. The ending is definitely worth it if you enjoy those aspects.

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